With a relatively small number of recordings in his own right over a 40-year career, any release from AACM veteran Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre is cause for celebration. His fourth outing for the CIMP label showcases a new quartet featuring the even-more-underexposed Will Connell (alto saxophone and bass clarinet), longtime associate Michael Logan (bass) and childhood friend, but now master percussionist, Warren Smith, alongside the leader's tenor saxophone. In a 70-minute program mixing compositions with studio inventions, a ...

Returns to active duty are of special celebratory importance in jazz. Old lions who return from the wilderness to reclaim their place in the pride often enjoy renewed respect from both peers and pupils. What's often not addressed is the amount of effort and risk required to rebound to form. Witness the story of Henry Grimes, who managed to roll back the weight of thirty plus years and resume his career. Kalaparush fits this archetype too. His discography prior to ...

Music is a rare thing. Left to lone interpretation, sound in the form of music, has no dedicated form. If music is to have any future significance beyond pop culture relic, it should have no formula at all. And if authenticity is defined by honesty, the improvisers creating unrelenting radical music are honorable. Perhaps to a fault, since society, with its narrow-minded classifications and cliched impressions, punishes honorable men. Has Kalaparusha Maurice McIntrye been punished? Answering that would require you ...

Ceasing a long hiatus from recording with a date for Delmark in late 1997 as part of the Bright Moments ensemble, Kalaparush seemed on the verge of a much belated renascence. Two sessions for CIMP followed, the first as leader in 1999 and the second as a member of Luther Thomas’ Quintet in 2000. Sadly all three efforts failed to fan awareness of his art much beyond the niche of a small, but dedicated audience. His sophomore effort at the ...

When it comes to notoriety and recognition the lineage of the AACM is a strange one. Some of the Association’s pioneering members, such as those in the Art Ensemble of Chicago, have garnered lasting and consistent acclaim. Others like Fred Anderson and Maurice McIntyre who were equally important to the collective’s development fell into obscurity for a myriad of reasons. Through a string of relatively recent recordings both the men mentioned have turned the tide of anonymity. But to those ...

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The Chicago-based collective’s contributions to creative improvised music are immeasurable. As a continuous advocate and outlet for creative cultural expression the AACM ranks at the top of musical collectives both in terms of longevity and quality of purpose. Though the association as a whole has managed to persevere the lean finances and tough times that have marked jazz music’s recent history, many of ...

I love jazz because, even after many years as a professional performer, teacher and author on the subject, this music still possesses the element of deep mystery and surprise. I recently heard somebody say that if you can explain something, you take the mystery out of it

I love jazz because, even after many years as a professional performer, teacher and author on the subject, this music still possesses the element of deep mystery and surprise. I recently heard somebody say that if you can explain something, you take the mystery out of it. Not in this case! It seems that with every explanation, new questions arise exponentially! It's like the universe is constantly inviting (challenging) you to grow musically.